Detonating fire-alarm.



No. 786,655. PATBNTED APR, 4, 1905.

M. A. LIBBEY.

DETONATING FIRE ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1904.

WITNESSES.

. a l i UNITED STATES Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

DETONATING FlFiE-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,655, dated April 4,1905.

Application filed February 12, 1904;. Serial No. 193,283.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MARK A. LIBBEY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of South Berwiek, in the county of York and State of Maine,have invented new and useful Improvements in DetonatingFire-Alarms, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to alarm devices; and it consists substantiallyin the construction and combinations of parts hereinafter particularlydescribed,and pointed out in the claims.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved alarmdevice operating by detonation to give notice of the occurrence of firein an apartment, room, or other place and also to provide a device ofthis character which is exceedingly simple, as well as inexpensive tomanufacture, and thoroughly effective and reliable for its purpose.

A further object is to provide a device of the kind referred to whichcomprises but few parts and which possesses numerous advantages overmany other structures hitherto devised with like ends in view.

The above and additional objects are attained by means substantiallysuch as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective representing one manner in which myimproved detonating-alarm may be applied for use in case of fire. Fig. 2is a side view representing one form of the device. Fig. 3 is a top planview thereof, partly in section. Fig. 4 is an end view of the structureshown in Figs. 2 and 3, the same being also partly in section and partlybroken away. Fig. 5 is an enlarged part sectional elevation of theholder for the fulminate or explosive, showing the water or damp proofsealing devices therefor. Fig. 6 is a side view of a slightly-modifiedform of the device. Fig. 7 is a top view thereof, and Fig. 8 is a partsectional elevation showing a slight modification of the holder for thefuhninate.

Before proceeding with a more detailed description it maybe stated thatin each of the forms of my improvements herein shown I employ adetonating-alarrn device which may be readily secured to any part of theceiling or wall of a room or apartment or to any object or supportwithin the room, said device comprising a holder for a fulminate ordetonating substance or compound and a member for striking upon thefulminate to produce a loud report or explosion. Said mem ber isnormally held or restrained from action by means of a fusible solder,which on the occurrence of fire in the vicinity of the device is causedto melt, (due to the heat engendered by the lire.) and thereby releasethe striking member to operate in the manner intended.

I have herein represented my improvements in certain selectedembodiments; but it will be understood, of course, that I am not limitedto the precise details thereof, since immaterial changes therein may bemade coming within the scope of my invention.

Specific reference being had to the drawings by the designatingcharacters marked thereon, 1 represents my improved detonating device asan entirety, the same being shown in Fig. 1 as applied or fastened tothe ceiling of a room by means of a screw or similar device 1*. Asrepresented in Figs. 1 to at, inclusive, the device comprises,preferably, a piece of wire 2 of considerable resiliency, which iscoiled upon itself any desired number of times, the outer end portion 3thereof being bent or turned laterally, as indicated at 4, so as to forma shoulder upon which is supported the upturned inner end portion 5 ofthe wire, constituting the striking member of the alarm. The resiliencyor tension of said striking member combined with that of the coils tendsto carry the member from the shoulder with considerable force; butnormally the same is maintained upon the shoulder by means of a suitablebinder or solder 6, adapted to melt or liquefy at a predeterminedtemperature, and thereby release the member. The extremity of the saidend portion?) of the wire is preferably bent or curved at 7, and supriorted thereby is a holder 8 for a suitable fulminate or detonatingsubstance 9, said fuhninate being protected from dampness or moisture bymeans of a closure or seal for the holder, preferably constituted of adish 10, of tin foii or the like, and an outer layer 11, of waterprooffabric or material. it will be noted that the upper end of said holderis located directly below and in the working path 01'' the strikingmemher 5, the latter being neferabl bent at 12 to form a head or hammer13 for directly dclivering the blow to explode the i'ulminate. Theholder may be of any form suited to the purpose; but preferably lconstruct the same with tapering or conical sides, as shown, whichenables the placing of the fulminate therein more compactly and whichalso provides increased area of surface for the striking member tooperate upon when released.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, instead of coiling the wire ol the deviceupon itself, as in Figs. 1 and 2, l form the same into parallel coils 1k 01'' substantially equal dimensions, the end portions and 16 of saidwire being brought together and united by the hinder or solder at 17,the one end portion, 15, having a head 18 and being the strikingn'iembcrof the device, while the other end portion, 16, serves as a support forthe holder 19, as a.ready explained with reference to Figs. 2 and i,inelusive.

In Fig. 8 the holder for the fulminate is shown substamvially in theform of a bulb 20, ot" foil orother suitable material, the c ntractedlower end oi" which is provided with a disk, and, il desired, the saidstructure may be coated or covered with any suitable damp or waterproofmaterial or linish.

From the foregoing it will be understood that on the melting of thehinder or solder the striking inen'ibcr of the device is released,whereupon said member of its own resiliency or tension carried intoforcible contact with the fnlminate' in the holder, thereby explodingsaid :l ulminate for the purpose explained.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Paton t 1. A detonating lire-alarm, comprising a re silientmember "Formed into a coil and having the ends crossed, a binderrendered inetlcctivo by heat applied to said member to hold the endsapart, and a holder containing fulminate disposed between the ends ofsaid member.

2. A detonating lire-alarm, comprising a resilient member formed into acoil having its ends crossed and bent toward each other, a binder offusible material applied to said ends at the point of crossing to holdthe ends apart, and a holder containing fulminate mounted upon one endof saidmember in position tohe engaged by the other end when the binderis fused.

3. Adetonating-alarm, comprising a holder for a 'lulminate, a strikerfor exploding the latter, and a fusible binder normally restraining theaction of the striker, said holder being provided with a closure of zincand waterproof fabric.

A dctonating-alarm, comprising a resilient wire bent into coils, andhaving the end portions thereof joined or united by a fusible solder,one end portion being provided with a holder for a fulminate, and theother end portion constituting a striker normally restrained fromoperating upon said 'l'nhninate by said solder.

5. A detonating-alarm, comprising a resilient wire bent upon itself intocoils, and having one end portion thereof also bent to form a shoulder,and provided with a holder for a fulniiinate, the other end portion ofthe wire resting on said shoulder under tension, and a fusible soldernormally maintaining said portion on the shoulder.

(5. A lire-alarm comprising a resilient member having crossedextremities, a fusible or combustible bond connecting said extremities,and restraining the same against relative movement, and an alarmactuated by a relative movement of said cxtren'iities.

ln tcstimon y whereoil have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARK A. LHEBEY.

lVitnesscs:

CrrARLus C. Hones, J. Q. .A. Wun'rwou'rn

